KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS

Exercise – exercise can help balance us and lack of exercise may be a trigger either mania or depression.

Diet – What are you eating? Foods high in sugar or an unhealthy diet could imbalance your system and lead to the initial spiral of depression or mania.

Life Events:

Stress – On a scale of 1 -10 how high is your stress and what are you doing to manage it? Too much stress make someone give up or drive someone into a manic state.

Menstruation – This effects some women

Seasons – Dark days can trigger a depressive episode for many

Major Events:

Death of a loved one, divorce, birth, work stress, financial stress, moving, etc… – These are all potential causes of a spiral up or down.

Getting to know these triggers can allow you to become aware of them while they’re happening and with this awareness you may have more choice as to how to best take care of yourself. This is the very first step…awareness.

There is positive research suggesting Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT ) as a program that helps prevent relapse.

Do you or someone you know live with bipolar disorder? What are the triggers you notice?

As always, please share your thoughts, questions, and stories below. Your interaction provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles and is author of the upcoming book The Now Effect, co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of the Mindful Solutions audio series, and the Mindfulness at Work™ program currently being adopted in multiple multinational corporations.

Check out Dr. Goldstein’s acclaimed CD’s on Mindful Solutions for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, Mindful Solutions for Addiction and RelapsePrevention, and Mindful Solutions for Success and Stress Reduction at Work. — “They are so relevant, I have marked them as one of my favorites on a handout I give to all new clients” ~ Psychiatrist.

If you’re wanting to integrate more mindfulness into your daily life, sign up for his Mindful Living Twitter Feed. Dr. Goldstein is also available for private psychotherapy.

*Side note from me: I’m not endorsing anyone or anything here, I just felt this was useful information to have.